What ever happened to ass-slammin’ party style hip hop?  So rarely do we hear fresh and intelligent rap so firmly devoted to having a good time, but on his latest release, the eminent mic destroyer GIFT OF GAB — of BLACKALICIOUS fame — spins elegant rhymes over the lushest dance-friendly beats of his career.  However, none of this comes at the expense of originality: he has fun slicing up treble-heavy guitars and long vinyl swooshes over earth rattling bass drums, and spits couplets in all the right places, finding pockets of groove to exploit.  Released on March 27 on Quannum Projects, GAB’s own record label, this latest effort The Next Logical Progression is his third solo record after the split with BLACKALICIOUS, and remarkably he doesn’t sound any worse for wear.  His signature vocal grit is still very intact, along with his sense of how to translate human body movements into music.  This shit just makes me want to GROOVE.  So if you have a hankering for the old school beat rockin’, definitely check this record out and sip your drank slow — modern hip-hop at its finest.